“Darlington,” someone calls.
I turn to see Adrienne weaving through the crowd. Her bright-red hair is hard to miss, even in the darkness. The man behind her, on the other hand, almost slips past my notice. Wearing all black, he blends right into the shadows.
Tension thickens the air when they reach us. Jasper eyes me with intrigue, a dark smirk playing at the corners of his lips. I eye him right back, because I’m curious about him. The infamous smuggler the Command hasn’t been able to nail down.
“Jasper Reed, Wren Darlington,” Adrienne introduces. “Wren’s new to the Dagger. She was undercover with Silver Elite before she came here.”
Jasper looks impressed as he continues to examine me. “You made it into Elite? Those fuckers are tough.”
“Damn right,” rumbles Xavier, drawing the smuggler’s attention.
“And this,” Adrienne says irritably, “is Second Lieutenant Ford. Silver Elite.”
“I’m the prisoner,” Xavier supplies, then slugs back some glenshade.
Jasper’s smirk deepens. “Brother, if your prison consists of good booze and hot women, you should probably count your blessings.”
I’m eager to know more about Reed. For example, how the hell does this man wield so much power that he’s granted air transport and direct access to the Uprising’s top-secret base?
But he and Adrienne don’t linger. Disappointment lodges in my chest as I watch them stride off.
Xavier is watching, too, pursing his lips before turning to frown at me. “I’d fuck them both.”
I snort. “Why do you look so upset by that?”
“Because she’s a quat and he’s a cocky asshole.”
“So? I feel like that would only make the sex better.”
“Good point.”
He drinks some more glenshade, then passes me the bottle. I take a long swig and pass it back, and we do that for a while, slowly draining the bottle until we’re both thoroughly buzzed. We’re not the only ones, I notice, as people around us begin shedding more and more inhibitions.
I catch a shadowy glimpse of Adrienne and Jasper in the far corner, his hands on her ass, his lips exploring her neck.
When Gray returns, I poke him in the side. “Are they together?” I say in his ear.
He follows my gaze, his white teeth gleaming in the darkness. “Nah. Jas isn’t the monogamous type. Neither is Ade. I think they just enjoy each other whenever he’s here.”
They’re enjoying each other, all right. Jasper has her against the wall now. One of her legs is hiked up on his hip as he kisses the curve of her neck.
My eyes track the motion of Jasper’s hand. He traces the line of Adrienne’s jaw. His other hand tightens in her red hair. He brings her head to his, his lips finding hers.
I quickly look away, feeling like I’m intruding on something private.
Before I can stop myself, I nudge Cross’s mind, suddenly desperate to hear his voice. But when he links, it’s with a distracted voice.
“Hey. I can’t really talk, Dove.”
“Everything all right?”
“I’m trying to convince my brother that teaming up with the Continent’s capitalists is a shit idea. I’ll fill you in tomorrow.”
“You’ll fill me in, huh?”
I can feel him laughing at me.“If you’re trying to flirt, you can do better than that.”
“I miss your dick. Better?”
